hundir Imperfect Conjugation
hundir — to sink
Use imperfect forms like 'hundía' (yo/él/ella/usted) for ongoing or habitual past actions, like a ship that was sinking.
hundir Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect is for describing actions in the past that were ongoing, habitual, or setting the scene. For 'hundir,' you could describe a ship that *was sinking* over a period, or how someone *used to sink* their chances.
Notes on hundir in the Imperfect
'Hundir' is regular in the imperfect tense. The endings are standard for -ir verbs in this tense.
Example Sentences
El barco se hundía lentamente mientras la gente subía a los botes.
The ship was sinking slowly while people got into the boats.
él/ella/usted
Él siempre hundía sus esperanzas en el último momento.
He always used to sink his hopes at the last moment.
él/ella/usted
Cuando yo era niño, hundía barcos de papel en la bañera.
When I was a child, I used to sink paper boats in the bathtub.
yo
Ellos se hundían en la miseria sin poder evitarlo.
They were sinking into misery without being able to avoid it.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'hundió' instead of the imperfect 'hundía' for an ongoing past action.
Correct: Use 'El barco se hundía' to describe the process, not 'El barco se hundió' which implies it finished.
Why: The imperfect describes duration or repetition, while the preterite describes a completed event.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the 'i' for yo, tú, él/ella/usted forms.
Correct: Remember 'hundía', 'hundías'.
Why: The accent marks the stress on the 'i' and distinguishes these forms.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'hundir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: hundo
Use present forms like 'hundo' (yo) and 'hunde' (él/ella/usted) for actions happening now or habitually.
Preterite
yo: hundí
Use preterite forms like 'hundí' (yo) and 'hundió' (él/ella/usted) for completed actions, like a ship sinking.
Future
yo: hundiré
Future forms like 'hundiré' (yo) and 'hundirá' (él/ella/usted) express future actions or probability.
Conditional
yo: hundiría
Conditional forms like 'hundiría' (yo/él/ella/usted) express 'would' actions, polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: hunda
Use present subjunctive forms like 'hunda' (yo/él/ella/usted) for wishes, doubts, and emotions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: hundiera
Use imperfect subjunctive forms like 'hundiera' or 'hundiese' for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: hunde
Use imperative forms like 'hunde' (tú) and 'hunda' (usted) for direct commands with hundir.
Negative Imperative
yo: no hundas
Form negative commands with 'no' plus the present subjunctive, like 'no hundas' (tú) or 'no hunda' (usted).